KUALA LUMPUR: The Bahraini Sheikh hoping to topple Asian soccer chief Mohamed Bin Hammam believes the bitter power struggle he is embroiled in is healthy for the Asian game.

Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa, the first man to challenge Qatar's Bin Hammam since he won his FIFA executive committee seat in 1996, said the mudslinging used in their election campaigns were solid signs of progress.

"What's happening is people are fighting for democracy, justice, equality and transparency, and Asian football has seriously lacked this," Sheikh Salman told Reuters.